Top Ones, Bottom Ones

What you need

• their toothbrush
• a smear of toothpaste

How to do it

1. Start their turn as usual and let them brush where they like.
2. When you take over, say out loud what you're doing: 'top ones now'.
3. Work round in the same order every night: top, bottom, the ones at the back.
4. Finish with the same words each time so they know it's the end.

Why it matters

Brushing is a lot of sudden sensation in a small mouth, and saying what's coming next takes most of the surprise out of it.

What they're learning

Knowing what's coming

A running commentary makes a close-up, sudden thing much more predictable.

Words for their body

Top, bottom, back: early words for parts of themselves, learned while something is happening to them.

Opening up

Opening wide on request is genuinely useful, and it's easier when they know which bit you're after.

What to look for

Watch for them opening wider when you name the back ones. That's them following the words.

A tip

Same order, same words, every night. The point is that nothing about it is a surprise.

More like this

Match The Socks from 26 months · 20-35 min Shopping Into the Cupboard from 15 months · 5-10 min Spoons in a Basket from 24 months · 5-10 min Recycling Sort Bin from 18 months · 20-35 min